Twitch removed “PogChamp” from chats because the “face” behind it had incited violence. Now the popular emote is making a return, but with a special twist. The face is supposed to change every 24 hours.
What is the new idea? After Twitch announced the removal and reworking of PogChamp, there were suggestions on all social media about what a new emote could look like.
The well-known streamer Day 9 suggested that there could be multiple versions of PogChamp, allowing Twitch users to choose the face of their favorite streamer.
Twitch picked up this suggestion but adjusted it somewhat. Instead of offering various permanent emotes, there will be a new PogChamp every 24 hours for the time being. How long this action will last is currently unknown.
Twitch brings a positive streamer as the new face, relieving pressure from him
What was the first new PogChamp? The first version of the emote comes from Kenny “UnRoolie” McWild. He threw his hat into the ring himself after PogChamp was banned.
UnRoolie is not one of the big-name streamers. He currently has 62,248 followers on Twitch. For comparison: The largest German streamer MontanaBlack has 3.21 million followers.
However, he has made it his mission to make Twitch a better platform and to foster a more positive community. With his calm demeanor, he managed to reach a peak of 19,942 concurrent viewers in 2020 (via Sullygnomes).
Who will be the next face of the emote is currently unknown. However, some streamers and viewers of streamers have already commented many funny facial expressions under Twitch’s tweet.
Why is the rotation so clever? Through the rotations, Twitch takes the pressure off the new face of the emote. Whoever would have become the new face would likely have had to deal with backlash from fans of the old emote and fans of the streamer gootecks, who was previously the face.
By rotating, the pressure is taken off the whole situation for now, and different streamers can temporarily be the face of the emote. Eventually, Twitch will make a permanent change, but until then, the aggressive atmosphere will likely have calmed down.
The original face incited violence
Why was PogChamp even removed? In the USA, on January 6, some protesters and Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. This led to unrest and even fatalities.
The streamer gootecks, the original face of the emote, referenced the situation at the Capitol in a tweet. In it, he asked whether there would be civil disobedience because a woman was “executed” while entering the Capitol. Some saw this as an indirect call to violence, including the operators of Twitch.
Twitch then removed the emote but promised a return. The new idea with the rotations is seen as very positive by many.
PogChamp is not the first emote to be removed by Twitch. In 2020, a whole series of emotes related to the topic of “Simp” were also affected:
Twitch deletes emotes related to “Simp” – What is a Simp anyway?
